Folklore Is The Pivot Point Between Taylor Swift The Pop Star And Taylor Swift The Legend. Before Folklore

folklore is the pivot point between Taylor Swift the pop star and Taylor Swift the legend. Before folklore her career had been in an objective "decline", much in line with consumption changes in the industry, with her seeing slowly diminishing success with each successive single and album she'd released after 1989, and that trend halted and reversed with folklore. US pop radio was increasingly reluctant to engage with her singles unless they were perfectly suited to the zeitgeist of the time, like Delicate was in 2018. Her streaming numbers were not terrible, but she was consistently getting out-streamed by the top new names in the industry, much of which was due to her catalogue being absent from platforms which put her on the backfoot. If she had been following a normal pop star path, then that would've been fine and it would've the beginning of her fade from the A-list. Instead, she took a hard left turn and put out folklore. It did unexpectedly massive numbers (including setting the record for the most streamed female album in the first 24 hours, which she broke two more times after that), sure, but what made folklore different was the entire narrative surrounding it. Taylor was no longer just a 'pop star', she was an indie rocker, and for the first time in a very long time, she was at the center of the celebrity discussion because of her music, and not just as a very famous person taking swings at Kanye or jet-setting with Tom. The pitchfork-indie rock dad demographic, who are the ones in the position of deciding which music is legitimate art and not just "pop music" fawned over folklore, and shifted the narrative from 'Taylor makes pop songs' to 'Taylor makes good songs' in communities that would've never seen the light otherwise. Folklore gave Taylor a massive career-jolting shock, and it set her on the path she's currently following.

In the years since, Taylor has clawed her way back to the very very top of the music industry, and with each release she widens the gap between her and everyone below her. Yes, evermore and Fearless TV didn't have the most stellar numbers, they did continue to develop her career arc in an incredibly positive way. Evermore proved to everyone with a toe in the industry that folklore wasn't a fluke, that she was capable of making "artful" music that would satisfy both pretentious indie rockers and her own fans at the same time. Fearless TV proved that Scooter had royally fucked up in his calculus when buying Big Machine, and that Scott Borchetta had royally fucked up when he assumed Taylor's career had peaked and he'd made all the money there was. It proved to executives that the re-recording project could be a success and that she could convince people to seek out the new versions, which is something we take for granted now (just look at the daily streams of each original album versus its re-recording), but was not a guarantee back then. Plus, it was Fearless TV that really lit the match and set the fire under her back catalogue, and got tens of thousands of people who probably had never listened to the original Fearless to go back and listen to her other albums from that era. The numbers weren't huge then, but that was when casual fans and locals started to re-evaluate the depths of her back catalogue. Obviously, Red TV was another step in her career progression, where she proved that a re-recording could be more than just new versions of songs for people to stream in place of the originals. She turned Red TV into a full-fledged era with videos and talk shows, and that a re-recording was able to spawn a ten minute #1 hit that wasn't just driven by fan consumption. Red TV did also act as a catalyst for her massive catalogue growth, but it wasn't the start of it. Finally, Midnights and the Eras Tour have been the true peak of Taylor's career. She's outstreaming the next 4 most popular female acts on Spotify combined. She got an album debut so ludicrously large that it exceeded even the most optimistic of predictions by a significant degree. She was even able to repair her relationship with US radio and turned Anti-Hero into her biggest and most successful song on the Hot 100 since Shake It Off. Taylor can play the pop star game and get the pop star hits and have the pop star tour, but Taylor writes lyrics that appeal to indie rock dads, wields significant power on the indie/alt music charts, and is playing stadiums with crowds so big they're more in line the biggest rocker performances ever than they are with any other pop girl stadium tour. Taylor has moved so far beyond the pop star that she was at the start of the Lover era, thanks to the pivot that happened with folklore. She can be the pop star on the micro-scale, which is seen in how well Midnights is holding up as a current pop album, but she can also be the music legend on the macro-scale, as is seen by the 14 million+ people in line for her concert presale or the immense, immense popularity of her back catalogue that complements the demand for her new music. There's a reason people have started calling this SwiftMania 😉

Submission:

Dear 🎃 ,

I was walking the beach tonight and almost tripped over an old wine bottle. I picked it up and examined it, noticing it had been worn down in the waves. “How far had it traveled?” And then it caught my eye - a piece of parchment tucked inside. My heart started pounding with excitement at the discovery! I gingerly removed the cork you’d carefully encased in wax protecting your message. Slowly, patiently, I coaxed the parchment from the bottle. My hands shook as I read your letter. As I scanned each word you wrote, I could feel the empathy and grief filling me from within until it all burst from my eyes. The salt from my tears mixing with the salt of the ocean. I rushed home over the dune with the bottle and message in hand. My heartbeat pulsed in my ears as I tried to slow my thoughts. Clamoring toward my study, I heard my wife calling out from the kitchen, “Is everything ok, dear?!” I flung open my writing desk, pulling out a leaf of parchment. My pen flew across the page - flowing, sloping, swooping - Trying to expel the words I thought you needed. I trusted the pen. I hope it was true. I am returning this message to your bottle with my wax and seal. I hope this finds you in return, but I have a feeling that it will. Sometimes we women just know things...

(Enclosed Message)

Imagine This. A group of people have known your truth for as far back as you started sharing it. They have always been here, and they always will. They often quietly send good energy your way with intentions for peace and protection. For them, you aren’t an anti-hero. Or a selfish asshole…. Or any other negative internal self-talk track that might exist. Imagine you are just seen, supported, and ENOUGH. When you breathe in, imagine taking in all the love and support you need to move forward on whatever path you choose. As you exhale, imagine you breathe out all of the fears of faceless former fans in public outrage. Imagine believing that the universe always takes care of you, and when plans fall apart, it opens opportunities for your growth.

May you, Karlie, and your family find strength together as you prepare to turn the page on this chapter.

Warmly,

A lucky beachcomber

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antithetical0dream0girl

2 years ago

📷| "Wildest Dreams" visuals pic.twitter.com/WhD2U6qVN9

— The Swift Society (@TheSwiftSociety) March 18, 2023

Can we talk about the visuals for wildest dreams? How she looks so peaceful… and the implications of her burning it down several times throughout the show? Throughout the last few years… how the cover of midnights is her with a lighter

How she walks into the house, throws a match on gasoline and then walks out?

diesel is desire / you were playing with fire 🔥

See these posts for more fire/gasoline/matches references:

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forevermore;

Thinking about the implications of Taylor specifically choosing Love Story to mashup with Gasoline while Haim is singing ‘strike...

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forevermore;

Light the way 🕯🔥

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antithetical0dream0girl

2 years ago

🎃 Imagine this. A diamond heist. Dressed in your wife’s black leather and the mask of an illusionist, you’ve impeccably plotted your way into the museum. Somersaulting past ancient artifacts, stopping only to admire a statue or two. On silent feet, you arrive at the display you’ve come for. Encased in glass, there lies a mirror. The reflection inside is rightly yours, and yet you’ve had to immorally earn your chance to claim it, to have and to hold it. Your team works quickly and quietly. You’ve made it unscathed. Almost. Mere feet away from the light of freedom, someone you recognize steps from the shadows, and cruelly removes your mask, revealing your true identity before you intended. Threatening to reveal it to a wider audience before you intended. For all that you are a mastermind, it seems you are not unoutsmartable. And yet you cannot bring yourself to give the mirror back. Your getaway bike begins to leave without you, sparks flying as the tires try and fail to slow down for you. You have frozen in this moment of indecision. But your hesitation was a decision all its own. This person may try to beat you to the punch by revealing your true face to the world. Or perhaps your best laid plans will still fall into place like dominos after all. However, that’s a risk you no longer have the luxury of taking. And so, it’s a good thing you always keep a pack of matches on you. 🎃

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antithetical0dream0girl

2 years ago

i dont know how people can still stan taylor swift after she ate that sheet metal and spat the shrapnel at that newborn

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antithetical0dream0girl

2 years ago